TY - JOUR

T1 - Descriptions of pain, metaphor and embodied simulation.

AU - Semino, Elena

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Metaphor and Symbol, 25 (4), 2010, © Informa Plc

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - The variety of sensations conveyed by the English word pain tend to be described via expressions that refer to potential causes of bodily damage (e.g., stabbing, burning). Such expressions are used metaphorically when they convey pain experiences that do not directly result from physical damage (e.g., migraine pain). In this paper, I discuss psycholinguistic and neuroscientific research that suggests that these uses of metaphor may facilitate some form of embodied simulation of pain experiences on the part of listeners/readers, which may in turn provide the basis for an empathic response. I suggest that different kinds of metaphorical descriptions of pain vary in terms of their potential for eliciting a response involving embodied simulation, and in terms of the nature and intensity of the simulation they may elicit. I argue that the most relevant characteristics of metaphorical descriptions of pain in this respect are their level of detail, degree of creativity, and textual complexity.

AB - The variety of sensations conveyed by the English word pain tend to be described via expressions that refer to potential causes of bodily damage (e.g., stabbing, burning). Such expressions are used metaphorically when they convey pain experiences that do not directly result from physical damage (e.g., migraine pain). In this paper, I discuss psycholinguistic and neuroscientific research that suggests that these uses of metaphor may facilitate some form of embodied simulation of pain experiences on the part of listeners/readers, which may in turn provide the basis for an empathic response. I suggest that different kinds of metaphorical descriptions of pain vary in terms of their potential for eliciting a response involving embodied simulation, and in terms of the nature and intensity of the simulation they may elicit. I argue that the most relevant characteristics of metaphorical descriptions of pain in this respect are their level of detail, degree of creativity, and textual complexity.

U2 - 10.1080/10926488.2010.510926

DO - 10.1080/10926488.2010.510926

M3 - Journal article

VL - 25

SP - 205

EP - 226

JO - Metaphor and Symbol

JF - Metaphor and Symbol

SN - 1092-6488

IS - 4

ER -